NBA - Aaron Torres Sports
I hate doing this.
I hate jumping to conclusions and passing judgement, and pointing fingers after tough losses. I hate blaming superstars and calling for coach's heads, and for the lack of a better term, acting like a selfish and spoiled fan.
What I do like is being logical, thought out and well-reasoned before I share my opinions. But after the Cavaliers 120-88 loss to Boston on Tuesday night, in a game that defied all logic and reason, I'm out of answers and need to start asking questions. Like is LeBron who we thought he was? Are the Cavaliers who we thought they were? And unless Mike Brown has incriminating photos of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert with 14-year-old Thai boys, how the hell does he still have a job?
Now before I go any further, I think it's important to note that I'm not really a Cavs fan, but find myself rooting for them. They're the only team I watch much of during the regular season, basically because, well, LeBron is must-see TV. As far as I'm concerned, he, along with Peyton Manning are the only two athletes of the last decade who you can't afford to miss, because on any given night, they might do something you've never seen before.
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It was all the way back in January, when I had an interesting idea for an article. It was called "The Cast of The Jersey Shore Gets You Caught Up On The College Basketball Season." And it was one of my favorite things I've ever written.
The premise was simple: How did all our favorite guido's and guidette's from down on the shore compare to the elite in college basketball? The article turned out to be fun and goofy, and was something that sports fans and non-sports fans alike could relate to.
And you what else? It became the most read thing I've ever written. Not so much because people cared about college basketball, but because they just couldn't get enough of Snooki, the Situation and Pauly D (And who could blame them? I mean after all, do you know anyone that owns their own tanning bed? I didn't think so).
Anyway, after Jersey Shore ended, I needed my reality TV fix, and decided that after a few years away, I'd give The Hills another chance. There's just something about a bunch of super hot girls, yelling at each other for 30 minutes a week that intrigued me. What can I say, I guess I'm old fashioned like that.
Well with the second round of the NBA Playoffs underway, I decided to combine my new found love for The Hills, with my passion for all things Kobe, LeBron and Steve Nash.
So if you're just getting into the NBA Playoffs now, or doing the same with The Hills, here's your chance to catch up.
Let "The Cast of The Hills Get You Caught Up On The Second Round Of The NBA Playoffs."
On Wednesday, we looked at LeBron, Joakim Noah’s dumb comments, the Denver Nuggets and much, much more in Part I of “20 Things I Think I Know,” about the 2010 NBA Playoffs.
Now, with two more games last night, Aaron thinks he knows more than ever before. But does he?
Find out, as he discusses the Lakers, Celtics, Dwyane Wade's future in Miami and much, much more in Part II of "20 Things I Think I Know."
Enjoy.
By now, I’m sure that most of you know that when it comes to the NBA, I’m definitely a casual fan. Nothing against the league, just that between college football and its bowl games, the NFL playoffs and the NCAA Tournament, my sports calendar is pretty booked between Halloween to the beginning of April. I mean after all, I do have to actually get off my couch and socially interact with people every once in awhile, right?
Anyway, as backed up as I am until the beginning of April, once the NBA postseason kicks off, that’s a different story. Last year was the first time that I really threw myself into the NBA Playoffs (It’s amazing how much free time you find yourself with when you break up with a girlfriend!), and what can I say, I was hooked. And I’m back this year.
Needless to say though, I’m still a casual fan at heart, and would never claim to be anything more. Because of it, I'm still learning about these players and teams, and doing it on the fly, after many of you have watched them all season long. While I might think that I know a lot about these teams, I still need a few games before I actually do in fact know them.
So to steal a gimmick from one of my favorite NFL reporters Peter King, who writes a weekly column called “Things I Think, I Think,” here is my version, the “20 Things I Think I Know,” through the early part of these playoffs.
The article ended up getting so long, that I’ll be running the Part I today, and ending with Part II on Thursday.
A few weeks back, after I wrote an article on the Kentucky-West Virginia college basketball game, I got one especially poignant e-mail, amongst the hundreds that I received. It was from an old woman in Kentucky, who was simply thanking me for shedding light on Wildcats big man DeMarcus Cousins, differently than anyone in the media really had all year. For describing Cousins as the goofy and jovial kid who came out of his shell over the course of the season, rather the undisciplined thug that many made him out to be coming into it. For using a whole year’s worth of actions to define him, rather than a bad first impression to chastise him, like others had.
My response to that e-mail was simple: There was no need to thank me. That I wasn’t some crusty old media member, who took a first impression, banged out an easy, thoughtless, 800 word column, just so I could get out of the newsroom by the early afternoon to catch a few holes of golf. Instead, I was simply a fan of sports who loved writing, and that Cousins had endeared himself to me, like so many in Kentucky over the course of the 2010 college basketball season. That it was my responsibility as a writer to learn all the facts- good and bad- before casting judgement and sharing an opinion publicly.
Again, it was just one e-mail, and one response. And truthfully, I didn’t think much of it. At least until a column called, “LeBron James Owes Fans A Refund,” was forwarded to me Monday afternoon. Or as I like to call it, the latest edition of “As the Media Grumbles.”
Now before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I have no personal vendetta with Tim Potvak, the AOL Fanhouse columnist who wrote the piece. Quite the opposite. Truthfully, I’m about as familiar with his work as he probably is with mine. Which is to say I had never heard of the guy until Monday.
But I also think his column is the latest- in an endless line of examples- of the old-school media being out of touch with the modern athlete. And as someone who is a bit younger, I have a completely different take, and feel the need to share it.
The premise of the article is really as simple as the title sounds: Basically that LeBron James should pay the wages that he earned for Sunday’s game with the Magic to all the fans who paid to see him play. That he owes them for showing up to support him, even as he decided to take the night off, for no reason other than to rest for the postseason.
Potvak’s thought is a nice idea in principle, but one with which that I couldn’t disagree more.
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After all is said and done, today may go down as the biggest sports day of 2010. It's Opening Day in Major League Baseball. The college basketball National Championship Game is a mere few hours away. Later this afternoon, Tiger Woods is set to give a press conference, which apparently will be different from the other three he's already had. Oh, and Donovan McNabb is now the quarterback of the Washington Redskins, proving that the world might actually be coming to an end in 2012, if not sooner.
But I'm not here to talk about any of that. I'm here to talk some NBA basketball, and the playoffs in specific.
Now I know right about now you're all going into Jim Mora mode and thinking to yourself: "Playoffs? Playoffs? But Aaron, what about Butler vs. Duke? What about Red Sox-Yankees? What about Tiger Woods and his Army of iHop waitresses? Playoffs?" And don't get me wrong, those things are all important. But after attending the Cavaliers-Celtics game on Sunday afternoon, the playoffs are what's on mind.
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It’s the story that’s not really a story, but still kind of is a story, that everyone feels dirty for talking about, but still can’t stop talking about anyway.
It’s led to the sabotagization (Yes, I just made up that word, how do you like it?) of the New York Knicks for the last 18 months and counting, and even led LeBron James to get a temporary restraining order against the media.
It’s the NBA’s, “Summer of 2010.” And much like the commercials, it’s apparently where, “Amazing Happens.”
During this summer, an unprecedented group of superstars will become free agents, possibly changing the landscape of the sport forever. In no particular order, here are some of the guys who will likely be available to the highest bidder:
Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Rudy Gay, Richard Jefferson, and yes, even Kwame Brown and Louis Almundson. That’s a lot of guys who could make a lot of difference in a lot of ways.
But ultimately, they’re all chips that are going to fall into place after the biggest dog gets fed.
And that’s what we’re all waiting for: Where will LeBron James end up?
You know, they say the best things happen when you least at expect them.
For some, it might be finding a winning lottery ticket on the side of the road. For others, meeting the love of your life in line at the grocery store (What, it happened in that Reese Witherspoon movie. Why can’t it happen to me?).
As for me? It was the opening night of the NBA season when I realized that I had free NBA League Pass for a whole week. It was like an early Christmas, except in this case, well I got something I actually wanted (No seriously grandma if you’re reading, I loved the wool socks, I really did).
Watching 12 games a day for seven days in a row is exhilarating, and a lot to take in. Luckily for you, my loyal readers, I took notes.
And here’s what I learned, in what I like to call my “NBA Potpourri”
With the 2009 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to look and the good and the bad that transpired on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden:
There are certain events in a guy’s life that mark his ascent from boy to man, actions all males share regardless of age or race.
The first time you shave has to be one, getting your drivers license another. And of course in this technological world we live in, who'll ever forget the day they signed up for Twitter (Ok maybe I'm being a little melodramatic there).
But while I don’t remember much of either of the first two events, I popped my Twitter cherry just a few months ago, so that memory is still fresh. Since that day, I’ve had 60 updates, with my favorite coming on May 19 of this year.
It was just a few nights earlier that the Orlando Magic had suffered an embarrassing Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The normally gregarious Dwight Howard blew up that night, and in the first real controversial moment of his career, called out coach Stan Van Gundy for not getting him enough touches.
